Automatic air-hose coupler



Juay 24, w23. www2@ v s. J. W. RADER V AUTOMATIC AIR HOSE COUPLER Filed Sept. 25, 1919 Patented July 224i, ll.

hdtlll will SAMUEL il'. W'. BADER, ALFALFA COUNTY, OKLAHOMA.

AUTOMTC .AR-EOSE CQUPLER.

Application led September 25, 1919.

T all w Fiom t may con cern Be it linown that l, SAMUEL J. YV. Renna,

a citizen of the United States, residing in the county of Alfalfa and State of @lilahoma, have invented certain new and useful lmprovenients in ilutomatic veli-r-llose rCouplers, of which the following is a specilication.

This invention relates to air hose couplers for railroad cars.

The object of the invention is to provide simple and efficient means for automatically connecting and disconnecting air hose of two cars. Y

`With the foregoing and other objects 1n view, which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed ma;7 be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing` from the spirit of the invention.

ln the accompanying drawings Figure l represents a side elevation of a portion of two cars to be connected showing this improved coupler applied, one member of which is shown in section and the other 30 having parts broken out.

2 is a front end elevation of one member of the coupling, and

3 is a rear end elevation thereof.

ln the embodiment illustrated, two cars to be connected are indicated at l and 2, and from the bottoms of which the couplings constituting this invention depend. These couplings comprise two members 3 and 20, carried respectively b v the cars l and 2 to be connected, and are designed for cooperation when the cars are brought together to unite the air hose of the respective cars.

The coupling member 3 comprises a truncated, hollow, cone-shaped casing` il, having an outwardly projecting, lateral flange 5 at its apex, which constitutes the rear end of the coupling7 and a similar flange 5 at its larger front end. A gasket 6 is clamped between the flange 5 of the member Ll, and' a flange 7 carried by a tubular coupling member 8, eye bolts 9 extending through said flanges and packing as is shown clearly in Fig. l.

il tubular shaft 10 has tapered ends 11 5 apertured for the passage of air there- Serial No. 326,260.

through, and which are designed to enter the members 8 of the two coupling elements 3 and il). This shaft l0 has a plurality of radially extending hoolrs l2, three of which are here shown and which extend from about m'duav the length of the shaft, and are desin ed to form attaching elements for coiled springs lil. the other ends of which connected by eye bolts lil to the shell 4 near its inner end. These springs are designed to retain the shaft l0 normally in operative position and to return it to such position when it has been projected against the tension of the spring.

A. collar also carried by the shaft l0 near the end,` the rear of which extends through the apex of the shell 4, and is des'qned to limit the movement of said shaft said shell in one direction.

rThe hangers 16 and lr' which support the shell et are here shown truncated if-shaped in form. bolted to the bottom of the car l and spaced apart a distance substantially equal to the length of the shell. Short coiled springs lS are connected at one end to the front end of the shell e. and at' their other ends to the hanger 17, while similar springs 19 of greater length connect the eye bolts 9 withthe hanger 16, said eve bolts thus performing a double function of suspending moans for one end of the shell and as connecting' means for uniting the members 8 and l.

The other coupling member 20 is exactliT like the member 8, the only7 difference being that the shaft l() is not connected therewith, but is designed to move freely7 in relation thereto, said shaft being carried by the shell 41- on car l, and adapted to project at its free end through the tubular member 8 of the roupler member 20 when the cars are brought together. so that the slotted end 1l thereof extends through said member 8 as shown in dotted lines in Fig. l.

From the above description it will be obvious that when the cars l and Q are brought together in coupling relation` the shaft l0 carried b v car l will enter the large end of the coupler member 2O and pass through the corrugated tubular element 8 carried thereby, and enter the hose which is adapted to be engaged with said member 8, These members 8 are both shown corrugated pcripherallv, so that when a hose is slipped over them, it will be retained in engagement therewith in the usual manner. It Will also be understood that the large ends of the funnel-shaped members will contact With one another prior to the abutment of the usual drawheads carried by the cars, thereby permitting proper yielding movement of the device' to preclude the Wedging` or breakage of any of its parts.

The hose is not shown connected with the coupler, but it is to be understood that when the cars are brought together, the pointed ends of the shaft l0 will be passed into the coupling member 8 after which the valves in the air hose Will be opened manually and permit the air to pass from the hose of one car through shaft l0 into the hose o' the other.`

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying draW- ings, the advantages of the construction and o1E the method of operation will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains and While I have described the principle of operation of the invention together With the device which I now consider to be the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that the device shown is merely illustrative and that such changes may be made as are Within the scope of the claimed invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. An air hose coupler comprising a pair of cone-shaped shells adapted t'or abut-ment, means for connectingv a hose to the apex of each shell, brackets surrounding the shells in spaced relation thereto, radiating coiled springs connected to each shell and its respective bracket tor resiliently suspending the shell, and a tubular shaft resiliently mounted in one ot said shells and adapted to extend therethrough and through i the other shell when the cars are in coupled relation.

Q. A coupler of the class described comprising a supporting structure, a pair of spaced brackets depending therefrom, a conical open ended shell arranged Within both brackets, and coiled springs: radiating from opposite ends of the shell for attachment to the brackets for resiliently suspendingthe shell Yfrom said support.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence ci two witnesses.

SAMUEL J. vv. BADER.

lVitnesses z C. W. BnooKBANK, CHAs. E. WHEELER. 

